3 Dead In Australia After Telecom Company Glitch Disrupts Emergency Calls

Australia's second-largest telecommunications provider, Optus, experienced a critical technical failure resulting in three fatalities.

Sydney:

A tragic incident unfolded when three Australians lost their lives following a technical malfunction at Optus that prevented access to emergency services.

During a Friday press conference, CEO Stephen Rue explained that the disruption occurred during a network upgrade on Thursday, potentially affecting 600 customers across South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.

Subsequent welfare checks revealed three deceased individuals in homes where attempts to reach emergency triple zero ("000") services had been made, with investigations still ongoing.

"I extend my sincere apology to all customers who were unable to connect to emergency services in their moment of greatest need," Rue stated.

"I offer my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who passed away. I am truly sorry for your loss. This situation is absolutely unacceptable. We have failed you."

When questioned about the duration of the service interruption, Rue indicated that this aspect remains under investigation.

The Singapore Telecommunications-owned company has reportedly resolved the technical issue and is conducting a comprehensive investigation, with plans to publish the findings once completed.

This crisis emerges less than a year after Australian regulators imposed a A$12 million ($7.9 million) fine on Optus for failing to provide emergency call services to thousands during a nationwide outage in 2023.

The company has faced multiple serious incidents in recent years, including a 2022 cyber attack affecting approximately 9.5 million Australians and a network-wide outage in 2023 that led to the resignation of former CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin. Stephen Rue assumed leadership in November 2024.